


fortune telling and prediction science

by knowsphere



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-25
Updated: 2015-09-25
Packaged: 2018-04-23 07:03:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4867628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knowsphere/pseuds/knowsphere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason talks to Dick about the future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	fortune telling and prediction science

**Author's Note:**

> T for language. all mistakes are mine. there might be a lot since i wrote this at one in the morning and English is my second language. you're more than welcome to point them out

“There has to be a way.”

 

Jason glances at his older brother, who is now tapping the collapsing wall around them with his escrima, trying to find a weak point in the structure they can use to get the hell out.

 

“Unless you haven’t notice, Dickie,” Jason says tiredly, “We are trapped inside an ancient tomb with walls secure enough that have kept this shithole untouchable for centuries. Your sticks ain’t getting us out here.”

 

“Oh, and did I mention we are in the middle of fucking nowhere?” Dick is now turning his back to look at him. Jason continues, “You know, where tombs are supposed to be? Our comms are down, no one knows we’re here, and I’m pretty sure the oxygen in this place is running out.”

 

Dick signs, “Okay, genius. Then what do you propose we do? Sit down and meditate?”

 

Jason doesn’t answer. He slides his back on the side of the wall and sits on the ground with a thud. Once this place was blown, everything was crushing down on them. The rocks that used to be the ceiling blocked their only exit like a perfectly fitting piece of puzzle. Anyway, the only space they have now is approximately one tenth of the original floor plan of the tomb, which is like the size of an elevator.

 

Jason doesn’t like being trapped. Especially not in a dark, squeezing place that smells like a coffin. He closes his eyes, concentrating on his breath and imagining himself in a large room. There is nothing but light and extending space here. He can go in any direction. He can leave anytime he wants. _It’s fine. It’s fine, he is not trapped…_

 

 “Jay, you okay?”

 

Jason opens his eyes. Dick is now sitting right next to him. He can’t really see his face, but he can feel that concerned look he is giving him.

 

He mumbles a  “fine”, and quickly adds, “This is all your fault, you know.”

 

“How is this my fault?” Jason can almost see the frown in his tone, the idiot. “You are the one who insisted on tagging along.”

 

“Tagging along?” Jason snorts, “This was my investigation! I was handling just fine until you showed up. Now look at the shit we are in!”

 

“What, you think if you show up alone it’ll stop them from blowing this place up? You against thirty thugs? In a tomb? Nice try, Lara Croft.” Dick snaps back.

 

Jason grumbles, “Fine, maybe not. I knew they were using an underground base for a joint operation. I just didn’t expect it to be this…”

 

“Indiana-Jonesy?” Dick offers helpfully.

 

Jason rolls his eyes. Not that Dick will notice anyway. “Sure, whatever.”

 

They sit in the dark for a while, listening to every breath they take in.

 

“The oxygen will hold for about an hour and half.” Dick says quietly.

 

“I know. And since no one really knows the details about our operation, they will only notice we’ve gone missing during the daily check in, and that’s scheduled two hours from now. Plus the time they have to spend to track us down without our signals. I’d say three hours, give or take. Just peachy.” Jason replies.

 

“How about your utility belt? Anything we can use?” Dick asks.

 

“Nope. I’m all out. And even if I have the explosives, there is no way we can blow a way out without getting brain damaged in such a close range.”

 

From the silence Dick is giving him, Jason knows that he is out of ideas too.

 

“Tim will know.” Dick says with easy confidence, “Sometimes he checks in with me earlier than scheduled. He will track us down in time.”

 

Jason replies bitterly, “That’s relying on an awful amount of luck and delusions, Dickiebird.”

 

“I have faith.” Dick says simply.

 

Jason wants to spend the rest of him time sitting quietly. Because this is the most sensible thing to do in this situation. Saving the oxygen. Right. But the silence suddenly becomes unbearable. He tries to imagine the bright, broad room. But then he is not in the room any more, he is in the middle of the ocean. And he is slowly sinking, drowning, away from the surface and the light, to the bottomless sea.

 

Jason snaps his eyes open.

 

“Are you sure you are okay?” Dick asks.

 

“Yeah.” Jason takes a deep breath.

 

He can feel Dick’s eyes focusing on him, trying to read him. If not for the whole trapped-in-darkest-underground-tomb situation, he might have given himself away.

 

He wants to say something so that one, he can let Dick drop his worrying and the we-are-not-going-to-die-here pep talk that he is sensing is already on its way; and two, he can distract himself from the feeling of panic.

 

He wants to tell a joke, or whatever sarcastic comment about Dick’s hair or something, but what comes out is, “I’ve seen the future.”

 

Dick sounds puzzled, “What?”

 

Bad, brain. Bad. Jason curses in his head. This has been on his mind for a long time. He suppressed himself not saying anything to anyone. But apparently trapping in a tomb with the lack of oxygen will make you lose control of thoughts processing. Well.

 

“Not this future. I mean, the futures of other earths. Multiverse.” There is no going back now.

 

“What are they like?” Dick asks softly.

 

“They are,” Jason searches for a word, “Different. I guess. In some worlds you wear the cowl. In some worlds the Replacement does. Even the demon spawn. Huh, some twisted reality.”

 

“How about you?” Dick says.

 

“Me? Well, there is this world where I am Bats,” Jason smirks, “And Donna is Wonder Woman.”

 

“No way Jay!” Dick fist bumps him on the shoulder gently.

 

“Oh it’s true alright. And we do efficient work there, mind you.”

 

“You would make a great team. You two. You did.” Dick agrees.

 

That’s not the point. Jason wants to say. A person like Dick will see delight in all those infinite possibilities. Because he will think of his own future and be all hopeful about it. But Jason doesn’t. He sees what-ifs and what-could-have-beens. He sees the life that he missed, the future that he can never have, and the so many lacks-of-futures in most of the realities.

 

Never meant to exist. Never meant to last. No purpose. No future.

 

“Jason…” Dick says in a surprisingly low tone. Jason realises he just babbled all that out loud.

 

Stupid, stupid.

 

“Don’t, Dick.” Jason hisses, “Forget about this conversation. It was the anoxia talking.”

 

“Anoxia talking? That makes no sen-”

 

“Just shut up. Unless you want to die sooner.”

 

They sit in silence.

 

“Tim will find us.” Dick says quietly, in his assuring voice, “And Damian too. We are not gonna die here. It’ll be alright, Jay.”

 

Jason hates this. He hates that Dick is always this optimistic, that he is always comforting people, and giving them hope where there is not. You might as well punch him in the face.

 

Jason considers punching him back to shut him up once and for all, but quickly drops the idea.

 

“Do you know in most of those realities, you marry Babs?” So he talks. Words can hurt. “I think she becomes the commissioner or something. You’ve got kids too. That’s the dream, isn’t it Grayson.”

 

Dick is quiet for a moment, then says, “If you are trying to get me mad by mentioning Babs and shut me up, it’s not working. And you are not trying very hard either. Way off your game, huh?”

 

Okay, he has a point. He is not his usual witty self, and his head is blank he can’t think of another insult.

 

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jason mumbles, “And give the guy a break, I’m about to kiss that sweet, sweet death.”

 

“We’re not going to die here, you moron.” Dick snaps at him, “What is it with you and a death wish? You, of all people should know second chances come rarely! Don’t you want to live?!”

 

“Of course I want to live! But not like this! I wasn’t supposed to come back. I was a monster and I had my head all fucked up and nobody even gave a shit! Jesus, Dick! Did you not learn a thing from what I just told you? You are supposed to live! Tim is supposed to live! Damian is supposed to live! Fuck, even the fucking clown is supposed to live! Me? I am supposed to stay buried! Staying dead is my future! And now my head is still a mess and in all the likelihood I will get killed in crossfire sooner than all of you in this dangerous vigilante lifestyle!” Jason pauses, gestures the surrounding weakly, “And thanks to all this, it’s even sooner and lamer than I thought.”

 

To his surprise, Dick puts his hand on Jason’s wrist, and says in low but soft tone, “Are you listening to how ridiculous you sound? Just because a trip to Multiverse you are convinced that your future is not worth living?”

 

Jason doesn’t say anything. He feels drained.

 

Dick continues, “I know how corny this sounds, but bear with me here. You can write your own future. So what if you are miserable in all those realities? Don’t you think one version of you is allowed to be happy? You are here, and you are alive, and this is more than anything I can hope for. Do yourself a favor, stop thinking about what is ‘supposed to be’, and focus on what your future can be. I know it will be a long process, but I’ll help. We’ll all help. We are all here.”

 

Dick takes a breath, “We weren’t always there for you. I know. And I will always carry the guilt of—the guilt of letting you go. But Jason, we all want you back. Please, let us help.”

 

Jason hums.

 

Dick frowns, “What? No witty comeback? No sarcasm? No empty threats?”

 

Dick suddenly feels very sleepy, and he realizes why. “The air…”

 

“Yeah, you are using up all the oxygen, idiot.” Jason says.

 

“Yeah, that was hardly my smartest move… sorry, little wing…” Dick replies. _Sorry about the oxygen. And sorry about everything else._ Dick wants to say, but doesn’t.

 

“s’okay.” Jason says, and drops his heavy head on Dick’s shoulder. And he means it. About the oxygen and everything else. He hopes Dick knows that.

 

 

* * *

 

Jason doesn’t know how long they stay that way. His eyes are closed, but he can suddenly feels the light at the corner of his eye. Someone…?

 

“They are here! Come on Damian give me a hand! Let’s get them out of here!”

 

Jason feels there is a breath on his cheek. “There you are, Todd. Didn’t expect archaeology to be one of your hobbies.”

 

Jason mumbles something back.

 

The person snorts, “Alright. Can you walk? We need to get you home.”

 

 _Home_. Jason thinks. The thought is slowly dragging him back to consciousness.

 

_Sounds promising._

 


End file.
